Wrap Your Arms Around Me
| Wrap Your Arms Around Me | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 31 May 1983 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 1983 | |||
| Studio | Polar, Stockholm, Sweden[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:16 | |||
| Label | Polar | |||
| Producer | Mike Chapman | |||
| Agnetha Fältskog chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wrap Your Arms Around Me | ||||
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Wrap Your Arms Around Me is the seventh solo studio album, and first English-language solo album,[1] by Swedish singer and ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog. It was released by Polar Music on 31 May 1983 and was produced by Mike Chapman.
The songs "The Heat Is On", "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" and "Can't Shake Loose" were released as singles to promote the album.
Release
[edit]Wrap Your Arms Around Me was released in May 1983. The first track from the album, "The Heat Is On", was issued as a single in Europe, where it is commonly regarded as Fältskog's best-known 1980s solo hit. "The Heat Is On" was successful in Europe and Scandinavia, reaching number one in Sweden and Norway and peaking at number two in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The album's title track was another successful single, topping the charts in Belgium and Denmark, reaching the top 5 in Sweden, the Netherlands and South Africa, and the top 20 in Germany and France.
"Can't Shake Loose" was the choice for the lead single in North America; this song became the first of only two solo singles from Fältskog to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, peaking at number 29 in October 1983. The song was written by Russ Ballard, who also wrote "I Know There's Something Going On", the only US hit by Fältskog's fellow ABBA member, Frida.
The track "Man" was the only song on the album written by Fältskog herself, in contrast to her pre-ABBA 1960s recordings in Swedish, which were mostly self-written. The album's strings were provided by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.[2]
In 2005, the album was reissued on CD, featuring five bonus tracks.
On July 28, 2017, Wrap Your Arms Around Me was re-released as part of a reissue collection of solo albums from the members of ABBA. It was available in 180g black and pink vinyl.[3][4]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
The album received favorable reviews from music critics.
Joe Viglione from AllMusic retrospectively gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that songs like "The Heat Is On" and "Shame" were "much more refined than a lot of the dreck the major labels were issuing at the time" and that the album is "a healthy serving of charming melodies". He mentioned that the composition, "like the album, is a real gem".
The contemporary review from People magazine was also favorable, the author wrote that the record is like the ABBA albums "smooth, upbeat, relentlessly bright and on the sterile side". He concluded that fans of ABBA will not dislike the record and people who dislike the group will not like it any better.
The album has sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.[2]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Heat Is On" |
| 3:50 |
| 2. | "Can't Shake Loose" | Russ Ballard | 4:20 |
| 3. | "Shame" | David Clark Allen | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Stay" | Allen | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Once Burned, Twice Shy" |
| 3:40 |
| 6. | "Mr. Persuasion" |
| 2:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" | 5:15 | |
| 2. | "To Love" |
| 3:49 |
| 3. | "I Wish Tonight Could Last Forever" | Ballard | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Man" | Agnetha Fältskog | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Take Good Care of Your Children" | Tomas Ledin | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Stand by My Side" |
| 4:16 |
| Total length: | 46:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Never Again" (duet with Tomas Ledin) | Ledin | 3:54 |
| 2. | "It's So Nice to Be Rich" (from the movie P & B) |
| 3:41 |
| 3. | "P&B" (B-side of "It's So Nice to Be Rich") |
| 4:01 |
| 4. | "The Heat Is On" (super dance music mix) |
| 7:58 |
| 5. | "Ya nunca más" (Spanish version of "Never Again") |
| 3:55 |
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from the album's liner notes.
Musicians
- Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals
- Berit Andersson – backing vocals
- Diana Nunez – backing vocals
- Maritza Horn – backing vocals
- Smokie (Alan Silson, Chris Norman, Terry Uttley) – backing vocals
- Tomas Ledin – co-lead vocals on "Never Again and "Ya nunca más" (2005 reissue)
Additional musicians
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
- Lasse Wellander – guitars
- Per Lindvall – drums
- Peter Ljung – piano, organ, synthesizers
- Åke Sundqvist – percussion
- Kajtek Wojciechowski – accordion, saxophone
- Mats Ronander – harmonica
- Ingegerd Fredlund – harp
- Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – strings
- Rutger Gunnarsson – string arrangements
Production
- Mike Chapman – producer
- Michael B. Tretow – engineer
- Gered Mankowitz – photography
- David Costa – album design
- Lolo Murray – makeup artist
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fältskog & Åhman 1997, p. 91
- ^ a b Fältskog & Åhman 1997, p. 93
- ^ "Solo Albums Reissue!". ABBA. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Sexton, Paul (2017-06-07). "Six Albums From ABBA Solo Repertoire For Vinyl Reissue". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ "Wrap Your Arms Around Me – Agnetha Fältskog". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 444. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Agnetha Faltskog Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1983" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1983" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
Bibliography
[edit]- Fältskog, Agnetha; Åhman, Brita (1997). As I Am: ABBA Before & Beyond. Virgin Books. ISBN 978-1-8522-7654-6.
External links
[edit]- In Focus: The Agnetha Fältskog Solo Albums at the official ABBA website
